Okay, I admit it, I’ve been known to poke fun at various press releases and products, but rarely do I feel compelled to flat out tell someone not to buy something (with the recent exception of the Champagne Tommy Gun). The latest product release from APEX Tactical Specialists fits the bill and a product that I would call completely useless.

Apex has announced the release of their new J-Plate Base Pad for Magpul’s GL9 Glock magazines. The new pad is an anodized 6061 aluminum plate featuring laser etched marks for “identification dots”  and APEX’s logo. The dots are about the most useful part of the product which are not even paint-pen ready.

Touted to use the factory retention plate, the individual aluminum base pads clock in at $14.95 PER PAD! That is more expensive than the magazine one was purchasing to begin with and it does not add anything to the magazine except the .045 ounces which supposedly “adds weight for faster magazine changes”. I call BS. .045 ounces (or .0028 lbs/1.27 grams) is an absolutely negligible difference.

As such, one is basically paying to to add a metal base-plate to a polymer magazine when the polymer floor-plate is more than enough to exceed any requirement, I mean its Magpul after all.

If the APEX J-Plate actually added a better surface to rip magazines out of the handgun or added capacity it may be worth a look, but as it is, I not so humbly assert that you not spend your money on this accessory.

If you wish to ignore my advice, its available through Brownells or direct from APEX Tactical.